


Secret Ingredient

by julienwrites



Category: Chicago Fire
Genre: Allergies, Anaphylaxis, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Medical Conditions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:14:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26800459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/julienwrites/pseuds/julienwrites
Summary: “You’ll never guess what Trudy’s secret ingredient in the sauce is,” Mouch smiles proudly from the island, where he’s doling out spaghetti. - Set during 6x22
Relationships: Matthew Casey/Gabriela Dawson
Kudos: 26





	Secret Ingredient

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is set during Season 6 Episode 22.   
> Warnings for anaphylaxis, but it is not described in incredible detail. 
> 
> I have always head-cannoned that Matt is allergic to strawberries, just like Jesse's character Chase, in House MD. Not sure why, but when I watched this episode and Mouch said Trudy uses strawberries, I knew I had to write this. I hope everyone enjoys!

“You’ll never guess what Trudy’s secret ingredient in the sauce is,” Mouch smiles proudly from the island, where he’s doling out spaghetti. Casey is only half listening, still trying to come to grips with Gabby deciding she wants to see a fertility doctor. It’s not like it’s been long, it’s barely been a month. Some people take years to get pregnant, and yeah, okay, he doesn’t want to wait  _ that _ long, but he’s still confused. Hasn’t she liked being more intimate? There’s no real rush. She’s still in her early thirties. They should be fine. Giving Mouch a small smile, Casey moves to the table once his plate has been filled, sitting down. 

By the time they’re actually able to eat; after the current fire commissioner comes in to tell them he’ll be endorsing Boden to the mayor, Casey’s ready to dig in. Their day has already been long and his stomach is growling. Twirling noodles into his fork, making sure there’s a good sauce to noodle ratio, he takes a bite, and then another. After the fourth bite, Casey realizes something’s wrong. 

His whole mouth is burning, chest tightening almost immediately. Mind racing, wondering if he’s having a heart attack, Casey starts to try and say something but the words die on his lips when he starts realizing he can’t breathe. Coughing, he inhales and all he hears is a wheeze. “G-Gabby,” he coughs more, getting the whole house’s attention. He’s unaware of how flushed his cheeks are, of the sudden red splotches all over his arms. His body feels exhausted and too alive all at once, and then black dots start appearing. He hears Gabby yelling, but it’s muffled and distorted, everything feeling too close and tight. Gasping for breath, Casey’s sure he’s dying, that he’s having a heart attack and this is the end. At least he’s dying around his family. 

+++

Gabby’s talking to Brett when her husband chokes out her name. Looking up, the paramedic instantly takes in his red face, blotchy arms, the sound of his constricted airway. Standing up fast enough she almost toppled her chair, she puts a hand on him. “Matt baby, it’s okay, you’re okay, you’re having an allergic reaction…” 

“I’ll get the epi pen, guys get him to the ambo,” Brett says, her petite form already halfway across the common room. Herrmann and Severide are already by Matt’s side when his eyes roll into the back of his head. 

“Stay with us Casey,” Herrmann says, putting one arm over his shoulder as Severide copies with the opposite. Gabby’s murmuring to him, knowing he probably can’t hear her. She feels like she’s stuck in a nightmare. Logically she knows that he’ll be okay, most patients who go into anaphylaxis are, especially with medical equipment so close, but she can’t help the adrenaline that’s coursing through her. 

By the time he’s on the gurney, Brett’s acting fast, popping the epi-pen they keep and jabbing it into his thigh through his pants, deciding it’s not worth it to take the time to unbuckle his belt. It works all the same. Gabby jumps in and starts working on an IV, thankful to hear a tiny wheeze of a breath. At least he  _ can _ breathe. By the time the IV’s set; incase of a second reaction, Brett’s touching Gabby’s shoulder and the woman nods. They need to go  _ now _ . 

+++

Matt’s eyes flutter open, body jostling. Looking around, he realizes he’s in the ambo. “G-G’bby,” his airway feels tight, and his whole body is shaking like he’s had gallons of energy drink. Sluggishly, he feels a mask on him, raising his hand to touch it. A hand quickly falls on top of his. 

“Matt, baby. You’re okay, it’s okay. You had an allergic reaction. We’re almost to med,” she promises, running fingers through his hair. Matt nods, coughing into the clear mask, still struggling to breathe. Belatedly he realizes his arms itch, his neck itches. His face feels too warm. He must lose track of time, because suddenly Dr.Halstead’s in front of him and he’s already through the ER’s doors. 

“Allergic reaction. Gave him an epipen, was quicker than pushing it through the IV…” Brett rattles off. Matt swallows thickly, and then his mouth feels hot again. His hand finds Gabby, trying to pull on her, panic in his eyes when his airway starts closing again. He gasps for breath even with the mask on. 

“Push epi and then 20 cc’s of saline!” Halstead yells out, a nurse starting almost immediately on the line Gabby’s put in. Matt coughs roughly, scrambling for Gabby’s hand. “Gabby, you have to let us work. He’ll be fine, I promise,” Halstead assures, and with reluctance, Gabby squeezes Matt’s hand and then stands back, welcoming the arm Brett throws around her shoulder. 

“He’ll be fine. He’s the most stubborn guy I’ve ever met,” Brett jokes, trying to reassure her best friend. 

“Yeah…” 

+++ 

When Matt awakes again, the first thing he registers is a nasal cannula wrapping around his face, the feel of extra air being pumped into his nose for breathing support. Coughing, the captain winces at how sore his throat is, feeling drained of all energy. 

“ _Matt_!” Gabby’s voice catches his attention and he looks to his right, Gabby sitting next to his bed, still in the ER. “Baby...don’t  _ scare _ me like that,” her voice is shaky as their hands find each others. 

“S-Sorry,” he breaks off to cough again, breathing in slowly through his nose. Matt’s freezing, body shivering, and nausea rolls through his stomach. “What...what happened?” He asks, trying to remember. Everything is hazy and his head hurts too much to focus. 

“You went into anaphylactic shock,” her voice wavers again, moving closer. Eyes meeting, she presses a kiss to his cheek. “How’re you feeling baby?” 

“Uh..” Matt blinks and swallows, trying to take stock of his body. He’s about to open his mouth to talk when Halstead walks in, giving a smile. 

“And he lives to tell the tale,” the wavy haired man jokes, walking over to read his oxygen level. “How’re you feeling? I’m sure pretty rough, you had a rebound reaction,” he adds. 

“Nauseous...throat’s sore, a little cold, but I’m sure I’ll be fine,” Matt coughs, trying to get control over it all, but his body jerks forward with every breath. What feels like hours of struggling and coughing is only fifteen seconds, and Halstead grabs the mask, replacing the cannula with it. 

“We’ll get some zofran for your stomach. Take it easy for a while, have some deep breaths with the mask. I’ll get you another blanket. We’re going to keep you overnight since your reaction was pretty severe. You ever have that happen before? Know what set it off?” 

Matt frowns at the prospect of being here overnight, but logically he knows this is more than just a silly injury or the flu. He doesn’t want it to happen again, especially at home. At the question, the blonde shakes his head tiredly, eyes already slipping shut again. 

“Alright, I’ll let you rest. I’m sure you’re exhausted. I’ll have April come in and give you some zofran and that blanket. I’ll check on you in an hour or so,” the doctor claps his leg and then walks out. Not a minute later April’s walking in, curly hair cascading down her shoulder, with a syringe and a heavy tan blanket. 

“Thank you,” Gabby says softly, taking the blanket, spreading it over her husband's body. “How...how bad was his reaction? Compared to others?” She asks shakily, eyes still glued to the man in the bed. 

“Definitely wasn’t the worst, but not minor either. Surprised he’s never had one before, to have rebounded like that. You’ll probably need to do an allergy test as soon as he’s back to himself, to make sure whatever he ate isn’t ingested again,” she supplies, pushing the zofran into his line. “There’s a bunch of guys from your house out there, thought I’d let you know,” April adds before walking out. Checking to make sure Matt’s asleep, Gabby gets up and makes her way to the waiting room. 

“How is he?” Boden asks, Herrmann’s voice only a millisecond behind the Chiefs, asking the same question. All of Squad and Truck are there, all looking anxious. 

“He’s okay. He rebounded, had a second reaction when we wheeled him in. He’s exhausted and has to stay overnight, but he’s okay,” she gives a watery smile, Brett walking over from seeing a patient they’d brought in earlier. 

“Oh thank god,” Otis’s voice sounds out. Severide lets out a long breath, and most everyone smiles. 

“Can’t keep the Captain down,” Cruz grins, shaking his head. 

“Do they know what caused it?” Herrmann asks. Gabby notices Mouch has been quiet, sitting in the corner. 

“No, probably something he ate,” Gabby explains, and then moves over to Mouch. “This isn’t your fault. This would have happened anytime,” she puts a hand on his shoulder. 

“Yeah, but it happened now, because of me. There was nothing even differ-“ Mouch cuts himself off, looking suddenly guilt-stricken. “The strawberries. That was the secret ingredient.” 

It makes sense in Gabby’s head. She’s never seen Matt eat strawberries or anything strawberry flavored that she can recall. “Mouch. Seriously. It’s okay. You know Matt doesn’t blame you,” her voice is gentle now, rubbing his shoulder with her hand. “Seriously. He’s asleep right now, but when he wakes back up you can go see him.” 

Mouch looks unenthusiastic about the prospect, but doesn’t say anything. Boden and Severide’s radios go off at the same time. “Main to Squad 3, are you available for an assist?” 

Severide looks at Gabby, who nods, giving him a small smile. “Go, it’s fine. He’d want you out there saving people, you know that.” Earning a nod from the Lieutenant, Squad stands and leaves quickly, leaving Truck sitting. 

“We’re not going anywhere,” Stella says firmly, Herrmann, Otis and Mouch nodding. Boden rests a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll take Truck and Ambo off for the rest of the day. Just be here for Casey,” he instructs. “And keep me updated.” 

“Will do Chief.” 


End file.
